For decades, North Korea’s military power has largely been measured in numbers and firepower.
asserted
power → measure → numbers
But North Korea’s military may be moving in a new direction.
uncertain
military → move → direction
Kim Jong Un has begun placing direct emphasis on artificial intelligence and automation during his inspections of the country’s weapons factories.
asserted
Un → begin → factories
From Sept. 16 to 18, Kim visited several major defense industrial facilities.
asserted
Kim → visit → facilities
According to North Korean state media, he called for greater use of artificial intelligence in offensive and defensive weapons systems and for increased automation and armor protection of artillery systems.
uncertain
he → accord → systems
He also called for expanded production capacity across the defense industry.
asserted
He → call → industry
Photographs released by North Korea showed various types of drones and multiple rocket launchers.
asserted
Photographs → release → drones
Experts have assessed that Kim visited facilities producing the 600-millimeter super-large multiple rocket launcher, a new 240-millimeter multiple rocket launcher, and large drones.
asserted
Kim → assess → launcher
Some experts have suggested that North Korea may be seeking to increase the level of autonomy of its new large drones through the use of artificial intelligence.
uncertain
Korea → suggest → intelligence
But an important distinction must be made.
asserted
distinction → make → ?
North Korea saying that it intends to apply AI to military weapons is not the same as actually operating advanced AI-enabled weapons systems.
asserted
it → say → systems
Based on publicly available information, it is difficult to determine how advanced North Korea’s AI technology currently is or how much autonomy its weapons can actually achieve on the battlefield.
asserted
weapons → base → battlefield
Even so, the development should not be dismissed.
asserted
development → dismiss → ?
What matters is that Kim has directly identified AI not simply as a civilian technology, but as a key element in modernizing North Korea’s weapons systems.
asserted
Kim → matter → systems
The way wars are fought is changing.
asserted
wars → fight → ?
The war in Ukraine has demonstrated how important drones can be in modern warfare.
asserted
drones → demonstrate → warfare
Their roles have expanded beyond reconnaissance and surveillance to include attacks, target identification, and battlefield intelligence gathering.
asserted
roles → expand → attacks
If combined with artificial intelligence, unmanned systems could eventually perform more tasks without direct human control.
uncertain
systems → combine → control
North Korea is watching this transformation.
asserted
Korea → watch → transformation
Through its expanding military cooperation with Russia, North Korea has gained greater opportunities to observe and learn from the battlefield experience and military technologies emerging from the war in Ukraine.
asserted
Korea → expand → Ukraine
The deployment of North Korean troops to Russia and the broader expansion of military cooperation between the two countries have created an environment in which Pyongyang can directly study the changing nature of modern warfare.
asserted
Pyongyang → create → warfare
Why, then, is North Korea focusing on AI and automation?
asserted
Korea → focus → AI
First, it may help compensate for limitations in manpower.
uncertain
it → help → manpower
Modern warfare generates far more information and targets than in the past.
asserted
warfare → generate → past
Large numbers of drones and sensors must collect information simultaneously, while that information must be analyzed and converted into action quickly.
asserted
information → collect → action
AI and automation could help accelerate this process.
uncertain
AI → help → process
Second, North Korea may be seeking to transform the way it produces weapons.
uncertain
it → seek → weapons
Kim’s decision to emphasize not only AI but also artillery automation and improvements to production conditions is significant.
asserted
decision → emphasize → conditions
North Korea may not simply want to develop several new types of weapons.
uncertain
Korea → want → weapons
It may be seeking a military system that can produce weapons faster, manufacture them in greater numbers, and operate them with fewer personnel.
uncertain
that → seek → personnel
This becomes even more significant when combined with North Korea’s existing military strategy.
asserted
This → become → strategy
North Korea already possesses large artillery forces, short-range missiles, and multiple rocket launchers.
asserted
Korea → possess → forces
If reconnaissance and attack drones are integrated with these capabilities and their level of automation increases, the speed of warfare itself could change.
uncertain
speed → integrate → warfare
It is not enough to have the ability to launch more shells and missiles.
asserted
It → have → shells
What matters is how quickly a military can determine what to strike, when to strike it, and translate that decision into an actual attack.
asserted
military → matter → attack
AI could eventually become part of that process.
uncertain
AI → become → process
This presents a new challenge for South Korea and the United States.
asserted
This → present → Korea
Until now, assessments of North Korea’s military threat have largely focused on traditional capabilities such as nuclear weapons, ballistic missiles, and long-range artillery.
asserted
assessments → focus → weapons
How many drones will North Korea produce?
asserted
Korea → produce → drones
How long will they be able to remain airborne?
How quickly can they connect reconnaissance with attack?
asserted
they → remain → attack
…and 21 more, not listed.
The Aporia
